metallica

Metallica have played plenty of festivals over the years, and even curated their own event with the Orion Music + More festival earlier this year. But even though it should be old hat for them at this point, the veteran rockers still get a buzz out of seeing so much talent in one place.

It’s a good thing Metallica’s Lars Ulrich is such a great drummer, ’cause he’d never have made it as a trombone player. A new YouTube video shows Ulrich playing the instrument with the New Orleans-based brass ensemble the Soul Rebels, and laughing at his own feeble attempt.

For years Metallica has been amongst the toughest acts in hard rock, and now they’ve built a pair of sunglasses to rock hard in. James Hetfield has partnered with Sutro Eyeware to create the JH Sutro sunglasses, available in black or tortoise. The band’s merchandise page calls them Hetfield’s “ideal pair of sunglasses.”

In advance of this weekend’s Orion Music + More Festival, Metallica held a press conference to discuss the two-day event, which will take place at Bader Field in Atlantic City, N.J. Metallica will headline both nights and play ‘Ride the Lightning’ in its entirety tonight (June 23) and the ‘Black Album’ tomorrow.

The tragic deaths of concert-goers can very understandably hit close for bands, and the October 2009 loss of Metallica fan Morgan Harrington has the group still doing their part to find the killer.

Metallica are one of the most dependable live bands on the planet, touring at a breakneck pace and rarely if ever missing a gig. But it’s good to know that comedian / musician Bill Bailey is ready to fill in if the metal legends ever need to skip a show.

The four members of Metallica realize a world of fans and haters will be watching closely when they release their next studio album. In a way they’re going back to basics, letting old music influence their new music. For his part, singer James Hetfield says that despite rehab and an artistic venture with Lou Reed, there is still plenty for him to be ticked off about.

We never had Justin Bieber pegged as a big heavy metal lover, but maybe we misjudged the little twerp — while he doesn’t seem to have any Slayer or Mercyful Fate tattoos, it turns out he is in fact a big fan of Metallica.

Say what you will about Lars Ulrich, he gives one hell of an interview. In a new sit-down with Maxim, Metallica‘s outspoken drummer dishes on porn stars, Hulk Hogan, Napster, and what he really thinks about the metal community.

Metallica may be too busy on tour right now to think too much about their next album, but they know that they will most likely work again with Rick Rubin when they are ready to record the follow-up to 2008′s ‘Death Magnetic.’ No, ‘Lulu’ doesn’t count.

Metallica and Neil Young + Crazy Horse are two of the many acts that will perform at San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music + Arts Festival, which takes place Aug. 10-12 at Golden Gate Park. Both longtime residents of the Bay Area, the two legendary groups will join sixty other bands for a three-day celebration.

More details have surfaced about Metallica‘s upcoming 3D feature film. It will land in multiplexes in 2013 and the Four Horseman have tapped Nimród Antal to direct. It has also been confirmed that the film will marry a narrative with concert footage.